- Category
- Latest news
Australia’s Abrams Are In as Final Tank Shipment Reaches Ukraine After Secret 55-Day Journey
- Authors
![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Australia has finished delivering its pledged fleet of M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine as part of a military aid package, ABC News reported on December 19.
The final batch of 12 tanks was transferred over the past two weeks, completing the delivery of all 49 Australian M1A1 Abrams promised to Kyiv.
Every article pushes back against disinformation. Your support keeps our team in the field.
According to ABC, the armored vehicles began their journey in October, departing Australia aboard a commercial cargo ship under escort by five Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel. After 55 days at sea, the tanks arrived in Europe and were transported to a classified location in Poland, where they underwent inspections and final preparations before being handed over to Ukraine.
The first 37 tanks arrived in Ukraine in July, with the latest delivery marking the conclusion of the operation.
The ABC was granted rare access to the operation under strict conditions, including withholding the exact location in Poland and delaying publication until the mission was complete.
Colonel James Smith, commander of Operation Kudu, Australia’s military training and support mission for Ukraine, said secrecy was essential to ensure the tanks reached their destination safely.
“We won’t do anything that compromises the security of Ukrainian [military] operations … what we’re trying to do is keep the Ukrainians as safe as we can,” Smith said.
The Australian Ministry of Defense has announced that several dozen M1A1 AIM “Abrams” Main Battle Tanks, part of the first batch of 49 Abrams pledged to Ukraine by Australia, have now arrived in the country and entered service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The MoD states that… pic.twitter.com/ORQGHJyuGj
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) July 19, 2025
“It is a huge undertaking to bring a 60-tonne tank halfway across the world and make sure when we hand it over it’s ready for use … but we’re very close now to having these final tanks ready to hand over.”
The final dozen tanks were loaded in Geelong, Victoria, and accompanied for nearly two months by ADF personnel aboard the cargo vessel.
The first batch of 49 decommissioned M1A1 Abrams tanks pledged to Ukraine by Australia has officially been transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Australian Ministry of Defence announced on July 18.
— OSINT WWIII (@OsintWWIII) July 20, 2025
“The M1A1 Abrams tanks will make a significant contribution to Ukraine’s… pic.twitter.com/gREvrG4YYW
During the voyage, the soldiers inspected the vehicles every six hours. Upton said several crew members aboard the ship were Ukrainian.
“It was great to have a sit down and talk with them and hear their stories about their friends and family and it really touched my heart to hear what their opinions were [about the war] and how grateful they were [for the tanks],” he said.
Once in Europe, the tanks were moved to a secure site in Poland, where 16 additional ADF personnel set up a temporary maintenance facility to conduct final inspections.
Lieutenant Mitchell Walker, the contingent commander, said the process would take about a week per batch.
“They’ve been on the ship for a significant portion of time, and whilst they were prepped before, we’re doing the final checks to make sure everything’s good to go once we hand over to the Ukrainians,” Walker said.
“Being able to actually come over and work on tanks in a foreign country … in support of another conflict, it’s quite rewarding for all the guys and girls.”
Australia operated the M1A1 Abrams between 2007 and 2024 as part of its 2nd Armoured Regiment. All 49 tanks have now been transferred to Ukraine under a $245 million military aid package.
Earlier, Australia and New Zealand joined the PURL program, supplying weapons and equipment to Ukraine.
-29ed98e0f248ee005bb84bfbf7f30adf.jpg)
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
